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Clan Bain (Tartans, Crest) and The Story Behind

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Bain

Gaelic Name: Mac a’ Ghille Bhàin

Clan Motto: Et Marte Et Arte (By strength and art).

Origin of Name:' Ban’ (Gaelic) ‘Fair’

Lands: Tulloch Castle, Dingwall

Clan Chief: None, armigerous clan

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Clan Bain History

Clan Bain has nothing to do with MacBain or MacBean. In fact, the clan is closely related to Clan MacKay in Scotland's far northwestern corner.

Around 1427, an internal feud between clan MacKay split the clan into two factions. On one side stood the clan's aging chef, Angus Du Mackay, and his second son, while on the other stood his cousins Morgan Neilson and Niel Neilson MacKay. This second faction was supported by Clan Sutherland's men, which was a huge insult to the old chief because the Sutherlands had long been enemies of the Clan.

The two sides finally clashed at Drumnacoub, near the Kyle of Tongue. The battle was a disaster for MacKay's leadership because not only was Angus the chief killed, but Morgan and Niel were also killed. Indeed, the battle was so intense that only a few men on either side survived from a force of around 3,000 men. Nonetheless, Angus' side won the day, and the chiefship remained with his line.

Following the battle, Niel Deilson McKay's son, John Bain MacKay, dropped his surname to become John Bain, thus beginning the Bain line. He and his supporters relocated from Sutherland to Caithness, where John's mother had been taken for her own safety.

In 1436, John married and had four sons: the eldest, John, founded the Bains of Caithness and Haddingtonshire, and the second, William, founded the Bains of Clyth. Alexander, the third son, founded the Bains of Tulloch and Dingwall, and Donald, the fourth son, moved to Galloway.

The name was originally spelled Bane but later changed to Bain, and the Tulloch branch also used the spelling Bayne. All, however, are descended from the same progenitor.

Around 1673, Bain of Tulloch recorded Arms in the Register of All Arms and Bearings in the Court of the Lord Lyon. Tulloch Castle near Dingwall was the Bayne's seat for over 200 years until Kenneth Bayne sold the castle and estate to his cousin Henry Davidson in 1762.

The surname is still common in Caithness, as well as in Orkney and Shetland further north.

Clan Bain Places & People

Clan Bain Individuals

Alexander Bain (11 June 1818 – 18 September 1903)

Alexander was a Scottish philosopher and educationalist who was a prominent and innovative figure in the fields of psychology, linguistics, logic, moral philosophy, and education reform. He was a pioneer in establishing and applying the scientific method to psychology, founding Mind, the first journal of psychology and analytical philosophy. Bain was the first Regius Chair in Logic and Professor of Logic at the University of Aberdeen, where he also taught Moral Philosophy and English Literature and was twice elected Lord Rector.

Thomas Charles John Bain (29 September 1830, Graaff-Reinet – 29 September 1893)

Thomas worked as a road engineer in South Africa. Over a career spanning from 1848 to 1888, Bain was responsible for the planning and construction of over 900 km of roads and mountain passes, many of which are still in use today. These passes through the mountain ranges between the thin coastal plain and the interior of South Africa's former Cape Colony played a significant role in opening up the vast hinterland.

Alexander Bain (12 October 1810 – 2 January 1877)

Alexander was the first Scottish inventor and engineer to invent and patent the electric clock. He built the railway telegraph lines connecting Edinburgh and Glasgow.

Clan Bain Locations

Clan Bain's Highland lands are roughly depicted on this map.

Clan Bain Tartans

Because the Bain tartan is not a stock woven tartan, it can only be done as a Special Weave; please contact us if this is of interest. Because Bain is a sept of Clan MacKay, he is permitted to wear this tartan. The MacGregor tartan is also worn because Bain is a documented alias of MacGregor from the Proscription.

Trudi Mann of Wick created this for Robert Bain of Lybster, Caithness. It was designated as a family tartan for all Caithness Bains (regardless of spelling). Trudi Mann provided the details and thread count in March 2004. It has not yet been woven as of August 2004, but it may be in the works with Elliots of Selkirk. BW changed the name from Bains of Cathness to Bains of Cathness in November 2007.

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MacKay Contemporary

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MacGregor Contemporary

Clan Bain Crest & Coats of Arms

Clan Bain Coat of Arms

Worn by everyone with the same name and ancestry

Crest:

A dexter arm embowed in armour, proper, garnished or, grasping a dagger proper.

Coat of Arms of Clan Bain

A word about Coats of Arms:

A coat of arms is granted to an individual under Scottish heraldic law (with the exception of civic or corporate arms). There are no such things as "family coats of arms." Personal weapons are depicted below (with the above exceptions). Only the person who has been granted these weapons has the authority to use them.